Box-opener.



E. J. GOLLETTB.

ox OPENER. A IPLIOATION FILED DEC. 9. 1907.

933,364. Patented Sept. 7, 1909.

9 Warngys,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDMOND J. COLLETTE, OF SPENCER, MASSACHUSETTS.

. BOX-OPENER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMOND J. GOLLETTE, citizen of the United States, residing at Spencer, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Box-Opener, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a box opener capable of general application but especially adapted for use on metal boxes of any form having plain cylindrical covers applied thereto.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide an inexpensive opener which is easily applied to the box in the manufacture thereof, which has no parts that are likely to get out of order in use, which is of such construction that its application will not necessitate any modification in the form of the cover or of that part of the box which fits the cover, which will permit the cover to be applied so as to fit air-tight, and especially will be of such form that it is applicable to comparatively fiat boxes.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings which show certain preferred forms of the invention and in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the outside of a box with one form of the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional perspective View of the inside of the same. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the same. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modification. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a portion of the box showing another way in which the invention may be applied thereto, and Fig. 6 is a sectional View showing another form of the invention.

The invention is shown as applied to a small, flat box a of cylindrical form having a circular cover I). The upper portion a of the box on which the cover fits is shown as of cylindrical shape not modified in any way by the application .of the opening device which is shown in the form of a piece of fabric 0. This fabric is preferably a piece of tape and is fastened in the inside of the box so as to project upwardly and over the rim a and out under the cover. On account of this simple arrangement, the rim a does not have to be modified in shape in any way, and the cover can be of the ordinary form, and yet the projection of the tape out under the cover as shown in Fig. 1 does not admit Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 9, 1907.

Patented Sept. 7, 1909.

Serial No. 405,687.

any air and does not prevent the closing of the box in an air-tight manner as is necessary in the packing of certain articles. It has been found in practice that when this opener is applied to an ordinary shoe-blacking box the blacking retains its qualities for a long time, which shows that the air is not admitted at the sides of the tape when'the box is closed. This is because the opener is of a material which is compressible and which has no sharp angular edges at the sides of which the air could enter on the closing of the cover.

The piece of tape is secured inside the box to the walls thereof. If the box is a tall one, it may be secured at any point to the side walls but it is more convenient to apply it to the lower corner thereof by compressing the bottom cl and the side wall 6 toward each other over the bottom of the inner end of the tape. This forms two depressions d and c between which the end of the piece of fabric is secured.

The depressions E preferably are formed .in the side wall as shown in Fig. 4:, or depressions D may be formed in the side wall of the box A as indicated in Fig. 6, which shows the depression or depressions located in a ridge on the box. In both cases the principle of the invention is carried out but it is generally more advantageous to use the form shown in the first three figures, as a simple hand instrument may be employed to crimp the bottom edge of the box or the crimp may be made by machinery in a simple manner. However, the forms shown in Figs. 4:, 5 and 6 are preferable for tall boxes and for round bottomed ones.

In Fig. 5 the tape 0 is held at the top of the box by means of bent over ears f formed by slitting the top of the box. These ears are bent inwardly to hold the tape to the wall of the box. With an opener of this kind it will be seen that in addition to the advantages which have been mentioned above, the opener itself is exceedingly simple and cheap in first cost and moreover, it is of such form that there is no danger of its wearing out or becoming displaced in the ordinary use of such an article as this. Item be applied to all forms of metal boxes.

\Vhile I have illustrated and described certain preferred forms of the invention, I am aware that many modifications may be made therein by any skilled mechanic and that it may be applied to many other forms of boxes without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters- Patent is:

1. The combination with a receptacle, of a cover provided with a downwardly extending edge adapted to fit the outside of the rim of the receptacle frictionally, and means for loosening the cover comprising a flexible piece of fabric having one end flxed to the inner face of the wall of the receptacle and the other projecting directly upwardly therefrom over the rim thereof and downwardly in contact with the inner face of the flange of the cover, when the latter is closed, and extending out under the lower edge thereof,

' whereby a direct outward pull on said piece of fabric without moving it longitudinally will lift the cover.

2. A receptacle having a cover opener consisting of a strip of flat flexible tape-like fabric, the inner end of which is permanently affixed to the inner face of the wall of the receptacle so as to lie flat there-against and extend directly up over the rim of the receptacle and thence downwardly outside thereof, and a cover applied over the receptacle and having its flange clamping the free portion of the tape against the outer face of the receptacle wall, the free end of the tape projecting below the lower edge of the cover flange, for the purpose set forth.

3. A box having an opener comprising a piece of tape, the box body being bent inwardly to permanently grip the end of the tape on the inside of the box and positively hold it, and the other end of the tape extending upwardly and lying against the wall of ]the box and projecting over the edge of the 4:. The combination with a metal box, of a piece of flexible tape-like material lying against the inner face of the vertical wall of the box, the bottom and side of the box bein bent inwardly to permanently clamp the bottom of said flexible material at the lower corner of the box,said flexible material extending upwardly from the point at which it is clamped inside the box and outwardly over the top thereof at the point directly over its fixed end, whereby the shape of the top of the box may be cylindrical and the cover may be applied so as to fit air-tight when said opener projects under it and so that a pull on the projecting end of the flexible material in any direction except directly downwardly will raise the cover.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDMOND J. COLLETTE.

Witnesses ALBERT E. FAY, C. Fomucs'r \Vnsson. 

